Mystery plant-Astilbe on steroids?

ThankGod4Gardening, member

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The white flowers on this plant can be seen in upper left corner of this photo.

The plant has hollow stems.

This is a closer view of the flower head although it has faded a bit.

The white flowers on this plant can be seen in upper left corner of this photo.

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This has been a real show stopper in my yard. I have had it for about 10 years. It was tagged as a “Gay Feather” when I purchased it, but that doesn’t seem to match. It dies back each winter and has returned very dependably in zone 5 region. It reaches 6-7 ft tall and about 5 ft wide. The stems are hollow, but are not woody. The flowers begin a true white and fade down to cream. It starts blooming late spring and they last into the summer, followed by a lesser re-bloom in late summer. It has never reproduced from seed. I would like to know the name so I can research how to propagate it within my yard.

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Floating bird bath

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What is this seedling?

Comments (6)

123gardenangel writes: I have been growing this plant for years and it is one of my very favorites. The plant is Polygonum polymorpha (Persicaria)aka Giant Fleece Flower. It is a real attention getter and is not invasive. The seeds seem to be sterile. This plant is beautiful in all stages of growth, is not bothered by pests of any kind, drought tolerant. Most people think it's a giant Astible. I lovingly refer to this plant as "Grandpa" because of the white plumes. I have several in my garden and it does well in all locations but is a little slower and smaller in the shade. Posted: 4:23 am on April 13th

budding_gardener writes: Hello ThankGod4Gardening!
I believe that you are correct in your identification of the plant as being Persicaria polymorpha. I work at a rare plant nursery in Ontario, Canada, and we have this plant for sale. It is extremely tough... I have a customer that flew from Winnipeg to get some from us! If it can grow there, I imagine it can grow anywhere! :) It is a clump former and may form some offshoots, but it does not run aggressively for us. It is a bit of work to divide the plant - it easily takes from root and shoot cuttings in the spring - however, we usually use an axe to divide it as the rootball as it is very dense! Plants will usually start from fairly small pieces of root. Sometimes the leaves will flop for a little while after transplanting, but keep the newly divided plants well-watered (but not sopping), and you should have some new plants in no time! I really love this Persicaria. One of our specimens is at least 10 years old. The main clump gets about as big as a medium-sized lilac bush during the growing season - and then it dies down to the ground each winter. When it blooms in our display gardens, it is always asked about. We have it planted in full sun in an area that does not receive irrigation (although it's always wise to water plants until they get established)- but we also have a smaller specimen planted in part shade that does quite well. It will take a few years for the plants to really fill out to size, and light levels do affect the growth rate. Well, good luck dividing, and happy gardening!! :) Posted: 8:12 am on May 13th

cheryl777 writes: Hi, I am pretty sure that that speciman is called Goats Beard.. Posted: 5:51 pm on April 2nd

ThankGod4Gardening writes: I appreciate your help in solving this long time mystery. I had spoken with a couple people at the nursery where I had originally purchased this plant; and even though they loved the one owned, they couldn't ID it.

Because of your tips and suggestions I have been able to identify this plant as a Persicaria polymorpha [Common name: Great White Fleece Flower; Giant Fleece Flower] I have been able to research from there to understand how to divide the plant this spring.

It has been a model plant for me...no fuss, constant flowering and after a simple spring clean up, it has needed little or no care with the exception a few times when summer storms laid down some branches...even then it bounced right back after a little trimming.

I have not found anything on the expected life span of this plant so, if anyone can comment on that I would appreciate the info.

Thanks for your caring and sharing, sk
Posted: 3:11 pm on March 3rd

DitchMiner writes: I'm almost certain that I'm wrong but the formation of this plant reminds me of the "Aralia spinosa (Devil's walking stick, Hercules club, Angelica tree, Prickly ash)" that is on the plant guide here on finegardening.

It also looks like a weed that will do just about anything to take over the world. I hope it turns out to be something that doesn't cause trouble; it's an interesting looking plant. Posted: 2:46 am on March 2nd

Linneaz writes: I think you will find that something in the Persicaria or Fallopia group will give you a good clue. Japanese knotweed is a gorgeous and invasive plant that goes by either name, but there are lots of other family members. The leaf looks about right for this group, whereas the flowers look more like the aruncus (goat's beard) but your photo does not show a pinnate leaf. Posted: 5:12 pm on February 27th

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